A scandalous double homicide opens the psychological case files on Alex Cross... When a glamorous socialite and a high school principal are found murdered, the shocking double homicide dominates tabloid headlines. Detective Alex Cross knew both victims well, especially Kay who had been his patient once. And maybe more. Alex's former Metro Homicide Partner tracks the slain principal's final movements to Alabama where Alex investigates Kay's past. They discover that although she had many enemies, all of them needed her alive. The more the investigators push, the more resistance they find, and Alex is left facing a desperate choice between breaking trust and losing his way.